The "real" cost of parking in Elounda

Yesterday evening we went out for a meal. A celebration meal. One of the restaurants in Elounda has been modernised and we went to see if the food was as nice as the decoration.

I parked outside at 19.45 ( yes 19.45!) and almost before we had closed the car door two (!) people leaped out and told us that we would have to pay 3 euros to park there.

There was no-one in the restaurant (or in Elounda, actually), except the staff. I had 200 euros in my wallet to pay for an expensive meal.

I did what many people would do. I got back into the car, parked (free of charge) in Agios Nikolaos and spent my 200 euros in a restaurant there.

I am sure the owner of the restaurant in Elounda will be pleased to hear this story. I genuinely admire the way he has improved his restaurant but, as a matter of principle, I cannot see why I should pay an extra 3 euros to eat there.

Elounda has lost many of the tour companies that provided customers for the tavernas, restaurants and bars. It needs all the help it can get. Charging people to park there is not the way to do it.

The restaurants are expensive enough and a 10% gratuity for the waiter in addition to the 2% "tourist tax", 8% Φ.Π.Α (19% on the wine!), a cover charge for a piece of bread, etc. makes a meal an expensive luxury.

Now tell me why the restaurants are complaining that they have no customers. 3 euros may not be a lot of money to the Demos, or to me, but it is a "stealth tax" on tourists. A visit to the harbour for lunch and dinner would add 84 euros to a 14 day holiday.

Yet another brilliantly devised plan to persuade the few tourists that are still coming here to go to Egypt, Croatia or Turkey next year.